H5N1 doesn’t have to be a repeat
of COVID's 'public health versus the economy'
statnews.com/2024/05/17/h5n… me for STAT

I am happy to announce our annual New York City Virus Hunters Research Symposium. Join us if you want to learn about our community science program that looks for viruses in birds in New York City. Our students will present their newest data. with S_Lakdawala 🏳️‍🌈 (Emory)

An update on the mapping project using new data featuring slaughter houses and influenza A detection. 🧵

Of all actions we should take to limit spread of H5N1 to prevent it from becoming a human transmitted virus / pandemic…

Surveillance should be top priority. There is NO reason every single shipment of milk isnt being tested. Testing is easy and cheap

science.org/content/articl…

Authorities say avian influenza currently poses little risk to people.

In “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” on CNN 8pm tonight, @DrSanjayGupta meets patients saying symptoms reversed after participating in Dr. Dean Ornish, MD’s clinical trial on the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of early #Alzheimers

cnn.com/2024/05/16/hea…

My piece from March 2021:

“Think of it as the literal equivalent of anti-virus upgrades – only instead of protecting your computer’s operating systems, they’ll be protecting people’s lives from the threat of pandemics.”

“Just as importantly, increased and distributed domestic

Excellent article. A key take-away for me from the pandemic is that if you want vaccine for your country in an emergency you have to make it yourself, at least at the regional level. 1/2

Continued delayed / missing data, and lack of transparency by Dept. of Agriculture is hampering efforts to contain spread of #H5N1 virus & is putting more people at risk. Their narrative is quickly eroding trust in the government to be able to be transparent and honest. Very bad start to a long

M. Elisabeth Rick Bright Katelyn Jetelina Kai Kupferschmidt Dept. of Agriculture You are 100% correct they tested triple burgers, with virus analog, but the steak is strips.

Below would be a better choice.

I spoke with ⁦Smriti Mallapaty @nature about the response to #H5N1 in US dairy cows. I am worried: We’re not doing enough to stop this & there’s lots of data lacking.

Could bird flu in cows lead to a human outbreak? Slow response worries scientists nature.com/articles/d4158…

If there’s a pandemic unfolding because the virus is spilling over into humans, we wouldn’t know because there’s basically no testing of exposed humans. We may miss a window of opportunity where this could be stopped. Why? All this talk of pandemic preparedness for nothing?

Would be great to know how many humans show antibodies to #H5N1 . Could tell us a lot about the virus and future risk. I’m not thinking only about those on dairy farms.

...migrant workers on milk farms to encourage cooporation
7) If no temporary ban, require testing on all raw milk lots
8) Improved safe cattle transfer. Require testing of mixed milk lot from farm and cow before transfer
9) Survalence testing of other cattle

H5N1 positive cows and mammals on or near outbreak farms
3) Ramp up testing of farms and farm animals
4) Detailed sequencing metadata: date, location, etc.
5) Guarantee privacy on any humans with symptoms, test, trace, isolate, seq any positives
6) Guarantee immunity for...

The cost of preventing a pandemic is far lower than the cost of dealing with a pandemic. The current response to H5N1 in bovine needs to be dramatically increased.
1) Federal funds for compensation of lost profits on H5N1 farms (increases cooperation)
2) Abundant sequencing of..

Rick Bright Patrick Boyle AAMC Michael Osterholm An influenza virus with pandemic potential that has a likely >10% real world IFR is a red hot emergency that should have huge resources going to preventing it from happening and other huge resources spent on being ready to spring if it does. 2/2

North Carolina lawmakers just passed a House bill to ban masking -- even for the purpose of protecting health.

Exceptions made for Mardi Gras masquerade balls.
If I don't laugh, I'll cry.

A thought on communication:
In today’s presser's opening statement Dept. of Agriculture presented work on killing H5N1 in ground beef through cooking. They mentioned no virus being present at 160°F and 145°F. Only later when someone asked, they mentioned that at 120°F there was some virus left.

Important point by Nirav D. Shah

High levels of #InfluenzaA in wastewater in #Florida and #Ilinois where commercial milk samples were + for #H5N1 .

Despite this, no reports of dairy herds + for avian flu.

This raises the question about how much testing, if any is happening.